The debate is now is being expessed in terms of pragmatism and tactics, like we should be trying to convert the believers to a scientific and skeptical world view. As in this talk by Phil Plait, entitled “Don’t Be a Dick”.

I admit to being a dick about religion. I’m an opinionated asshole. But in real life I try to keep the name calling and ad hominems to a minimum.

The thing is, I’m not trying to convert any fundamentalists to my world view. I’ve given up on that. I’m just trying to express my world view. This is something religious people feel they have a right to do, and do constantly. I’m simply demanding the same right for myself.

So if somebody tells me they believe in god, or fairies, or pyramid power, or astrology or homeopathy, I can simply say “That doesn’t make any sense to me and I can’t understand how an intelligent person could accept those ideas.” Okay, I’m telling them that they sound stupid to me.